1

Deep and Flexible Learningfor the General Education Student

in three acts

Peter E. DoolittleDirector, School of Education

Professor, Educational PsychologyVirginia Tech • Blacksburg • VirginiaInstitute on General Education and Assessment

www.ResearchNotRhetoric.com/rnr-talks.php

Anticipation Guide

Directions: Agree, Disagree, or Edit each statement.

1. Deep learning in students is fostered by aligning teaching styles with learning styles.

2. Technology allows teachers to teach more powerfully, more efficiently, and with less effort.

3. Assessments should be designed to determine what students know and do not know.

5 minute →

2

Deep/Flexible Learning High-Impact Practices

• First-Year Experiences

• Learning Communities

• Writing-Intensive Courses

• Undergraduate Research

• ePortfolios

• Service Learning

• Capstone Courses

By Design Not Magic

Why focus on deep and flexible learning?

Deep and Flexible Learningin three acts

3

Act 1

words →

Debrief

1. Meaning is constructed during experience.

2. Knowledge/meaning construction result from processing.

3. Knowledge is organized.

4. When specifics are lost, meaning remains.

5. Strategies are used to function more effectively.

6. We can assess the effectiveness of our thinking.

4

ProcessingEngagement

Active LearningHands On, Minds On

Cognitively

Socially

Behaviorally

Affectively

What we processwe learn.

Act 2

cues →

5

13

11

9

7

5

3

1

1 2 3

Debrief

Learning

Performance

Learning

Performance

Learning

Performance

Weak and NarrowLearning and Performance

Little Experience

Deep and FlexibleLearning and Performance

Varied Experience

Deep and NarrowLearning and Performance

Consistent Experience

6

Debrief

Learning

Performance

Deep and FlexibleLearning and Performance

Varied Experience

Cognitively

Socially

Behaviorally

Affectively

What we processwe learn.

Flexible learning leads to flexible performance.

7

Act 3

hiking →

A ProblemA hiker is looking for a one-night get-away and decides to climb the path to McAfee’s Knob, spend the night at the top, and then to traverse back down the path the next day.

The narrow path spirals around and around the mountain (the only path to the top). The hiker begins walking up the mountain at sunrise and walks all day, reaching the top at about sunset. The hiker spends the night at the top. At sunrise the next morning, the hiker begins walking down the mountain, arriving at the bottom around noon.

The question is: Is there a point on the path when the hiker is coming down that she passed at the same time of day when she was climbing up the mountain?

8

Top

Bottom

Mountain

H

Time of Day6 8 10 12 2 4 6

am pm

Day 1Day 2

68

10

12

2

4

6 6

7

8

9

101112

9

Debrief

Ü Processing during learning and performance is improved by having an awareness of what one knows, what one can do, and when to apply one’s knowledge. [metacognition]

Ü Processing during learning and performance is improved by being in control of one’s knowledge: planning, monitoring, and evaluating. [metacognition]

Cognitively Behaviorally

SociallyAffectively

What we processwe learn.

Flexible learning leads to flexible performance.

Awareness and control over what we know and can do increases learning to new

areas of performance.

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Deep Knowledge is easily accessible and highly integrated across diverse domains.

Flexible KnowledgeIs context independent and highly applicable across diverse domains.

Deep and Flexible Knowledge

1. Learning through practice at retrieval

2. Learning through varied tasks and purposes

3. Learning at the principle level

4. Learning awareness and control (metacognition)

5. Learning in response to developmental feedback

6. Learning embedded in prior knowledge & experience

6 Principles for DevelopingDeep and Flexible Knowledge

(Engle, 2006; Halpern & Hakel, 2003; Mariano, Doolittle, & Hicks, 2009; Wagner, 2006)

Deep

Flexible

Deep

Flexible

Deep

Flexible

11

Learning Principles

• Practice at retrieval

• Vary tasks and purposes

• Focus on principles

• Foster awareness & control

• Provide developmental feedback

• Embed in prior knowledge & experience

High-Impact Practices

• First-Year Experiences

• Learning Communities

• Writing-Intensive Courses

• Undergraduate Research

• ePortfolios

• Service Learning

• Capstone Courses

By Design Not Magic

Cognitively Behaviorally

SociallyAffectively

What we processwe learn.

Flexible learning leads to flexible performance.

Awareness and control over what we know and can do increases learning to new

areas of performance.

Motivation

Memorymotivate to action →

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Internal Motivation

1. Choice

2. Caring (Interest/Value)

3. Control

4. Challenge

5. Collaboration/Connectedness

6. Competence

7. Curiosity

7 C’s of Motivation

(Deci & Ryan, 2000; Gagne & Deci, 2014; Jones et al., 2013; Schunk, Pintrich, & Meece, 2008)

LearningEnvironment

IncreasedMotivation

IncreasedProcessing

IncreasedLearning

intrinsic

^

agen

cy

13

Learning Principles

Practice at retrieval

Vary tasks

Focus on principles

Awareness & control

Dev feedback

Prior know & exp

Motivation Principles

Choice

Caring

Control

Challenge

Collaboration

Competence

Curiosity

Sustained Involvement

Clear Expectations

Intellectual Ownership

Community of Scholars

Peer Mentoring

Cross-Disciplinary

Faculty Mentoring

UG Research

Rowlett, R. et al. (2012). Characteristics of excellence in undergraduate research. In Nancy Hensel (Ed.), Characteristics in Undergraduate Research. Washington, DC: Council of Undergraduate Research

Memory and Multitasking

MT →

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Multitasking Research

é MT with laptop è ê retention & class performance

é MT while studying è ê class performance

é laptop MT è ê performance by multitasker (11 %)

é laptop MT è ê performance by nearby peers (17 %)

(Judd, 2013; Junco & Cotton, 2011; Sana, Weston, & Cepeda, 2012; Wu, 2017; Zhang, 2015)

Multitasking: Self-Efficacy

Doolittle, Terry, Watson, & Adams (2018)

Group AWatch a Video

1086420

Group BWatch a Video

Complete a Survey

Video Performance

MultitaskingSelf-Efficacy

Med

ium

Hig

h

Low

8.45

4.66

15

Cognitively Behaviorally

SociallyAffectively

What we processwe learn.

Flexible learning leads to flexible performance.

Awareness and control over what we know and can do increases learning to new

areas of performance.

Motivation

Memory

Deep and Flexible Learningfor the General Education Student

Peter E. DoolittleDirector, School of Education

Professor, Educational PsychologyVirginia Tech • Blacksburg • Virginia

www.ResearchNotRhetoric.com/rnr-talks.php

Institute on General Education and Assessment

www.ResearchNotRhetoric.com/rnr-talks.php